Ch.11: becoming an adult- physical and cognitive development Flashcards
role transition
assuming new responsibilities and duties when a person moves from one phase of development to another
rites of passage
these are role transitions that are like initiation rituals that mark the onset of a new phase of development (adulthood)
-these are really clear things in many developing countries
role transitions in western cultures
- voting
- completing educations
- full time employment
- independent household
- marriage
- becoming a parent
the effect of post secondary education as a role transition
students start acting and thinking like adults because of advances in intellectual development and personal social identity
charactaristics of adults returning to post-secondary education
- problem solvers, self-directed, and pragmatic
- increased stress due to work, family, and school
- have relevant life experiences that they can relate to their coursework
edgework
- the desire to live life on the edge through threatening situations
- this decreases between adolescence and middle adulthood
- some say that its cause of development of the prefrontal cortex, others say its sociodemographic conditions
intimacy vs isolation
this is one of erikson’ s stages, it is the psychosocial conflict of young adulthood
-some say that you need to achieve identity first (in men there is a correlation b\w identity and intimacy in friendships with both sexes, for women it is only with same sex)
when does one become financially independent
- some start and dont finish highschool
- some start after high school
- some learn a trade first
- some start after post secondary
- some live with parents even after that
what is the quarter life crisis
this is the new equivalent to the mid-life crisis, people face: debt from student loans, workplace politics, networking, time management issues
young adulthood represents peaks in which physical aspects
height
strength
coordination and dexterity
sensory acuity
health as a young adult in canada
usually really healthy, less likely to get colds and stuff than kids
risks of smoking include:
- cancer
- cardiovascular disease
- bowel disease
- osteoporosis
- cataracts
- thyroid disease
emerging adulthood
between late teens and mid-late 20’s, when people are not teens, but not fully adults yet
risks of kids exposed to environmental smoke (second hand)
- sudden infant death syndrome
- asthma
- lung damage
- higher chance of becoming smokers
when is moderate drinking dangerous
when you are pregnant or about to drive
what is binge drinking
when you consume 5 of more drinks in a row for men, or 4 or more in a row for women
what are the possible deaths of binge drinking
- coma and death
- unplanned sex
- drunk driving
- missed classes
- bad behaviour
when is a person more likely to binge drink
- alcohol is available
- person is male
- person believes that it will help socially and that there is no risk
- friends dont dissaprove
- its normal to them
what is addiction
a physical dependence on a particular substance, such as alcohol
what does alcohol do to the brain
it disrupts the brains balance of:
- GABA, which inhibits impulsiveness
- glutamate, which exites the nervous system
- norepinephrine, which is released in response to stress
- dopamine, serotonin, and opioid peptides, which are responsible for pleasurable feelings
long term it can deplete or increase levels of some of these, causing intense cravings (addiction)
alcohol addiction is influenced by:
- genetics
- high-stress, anxiety, or emotional pain
- close friends or partners who drink excessively
- sociocultural factors that glorify alcohol
treatment options for people with addictions (such as alcoholism)
- alcoholics anonymous
- inpatient and outpatient programs at treatment centres
- medications
- various forms of counselling
health issues that poor diet has been linked to:
- cancer
- cardiovascular disease
- diabetes
- anemia
- digestive dissorders
metabolism
energy reqired for bodily functions
-as we age its slows and our nutritional requirements change
low density lipoproteins (LDL’s) and high-density lipoprotiens (HDLs)
- LDLs are lipoproteins that cause fatty acids to accumulate in arteries, which impedes the flow of blood
- HDLs are lipoprotiens that help clear arteries
- the ratio of HDLs to LDLs is more important to health than is the total amount of cholesterol (you want more HDLs)
BMI:
adjusted ratio of weight to height, used to define overweight BMI=w/h squared -w=wieght in kg -h= height in meters -a healthy bmi is between 18.5 and 24.9
social determinants of health among canadians
- aboriginal status
- disability
- premature birth
- education
- employment and working conditions
- food insecurity
- gender
- health serices
- housing
- income and income distribution
- race
- social exclusion
- unemployment and job security
some factors that put aboriginal people more at risk of health issues
- low income or unemployed
- experience food insecurity
- crowded housing
- homeless in urban populations
- less access to health services
things that women tend to do in relation to health
- live longer than men
- pay more attention to changes in their bodies
- use health services more often
- experience more adverse social determinants of health (eg. less high paying occupations, more discrimination)
how we should view intelligence in adults
- multidimensional
- multidirectional
- having interindividual variability
- having plasticity
intelligence in adults: multidimensional
an approach to intelligence that identifies different areas of intellectual abilities. so basically, understanding that there are different ways that someone can be smart
intelligence in adults: multidirectionality
the idea that parts of intelligence can get better, and some can get worse
intelligence in adults: interindividual variability
patterns of change in domain (eg. intelligence) are different for different people
intelligence in adults: plasticity
the fact that abilities can be changes by certain conditions or experiences
primary mental abilityes
groups of related intellectual skills, such as spatial skill and mathematical skill
secondary mental abilities
broad categories of related primary mental abilities
most focused on primary mental abilities
- number
- word fluency
- verbal meaning
- inductive reasoning
- spatial orientation
examples of secondary mental abilities
- fluid intelligence
- crystallized intelligence
fluid intelligence
this is a secondary mental ability
-they are abilities such as thinking in a flexible, adaptive manner, or drawing inferences, and understanding relations between concepts
(eg. inductive reasonging, integration, abstract thinking, etc)
this decreases across adulthood
crystalized intelligence
knowledge that is acquired through experience and education in particular culture, this increases across adulthood
parieto-frontal integration theory (P-FIT)
the theory proposing that intelligence comes from a distributed and integrated network of neurons in the parietal and frontal lobes of the brain
things that adult are more likely to do than teens (Perry)
- consider situational constraints and circumstances
- realize that reality sometimes constrains solutions
- acknowledge that feelings matter
postformal thought
this is thought that is charictarized by the realization that the correct answer may vary from situation to situation, that you need to be realistic and that most situations are ambigious. and that emotions and subjective factors are important
reflective judgment
reasoning about things that is charictarized by the realization that the search for truth is neverending
kitchener and king:
they suggested that there were several stages of reasoning that people go through in adulthood
kitchener and king: prereflective reasoning
stages 1-3
-people do not, or choose not to realize that knowledge is uncertain and that there arent always correct answers
kitchener and king: quasi-reflective reasoning
stages 4-5
- people say that knowledge is subjective, and that nothing can truly be known for certain.
- so people become less persuasive with their positions on contraversial issues
kitchener and king: reflective reasoning
stages 6-7
- people understand that knowledge is constrcted using evidence and argument after careful analysis of a situation
- they hold firm convictions, but reach them after careful consideration, and will re-evaluate in the face of new evidence
integrating logic and emotion: as adults mature they tend to:
- consider rules and norms as relative rather than absolute
- believe that thinking involves comprimising with others and tolerating contradiction
- integrate logic with emotion
life-span construct
the sense of past present and future all together, that is based on ones experiences and input from others.
-it is influenced by: identity, values, and society
scenarios in the life-span construct
this is the first manifestation of this construct. it consists of expectations about the future
social clock in the life-span construct
this is when people think of future events and when they expect to have them done by (want to be married before 40)
life story in the life-span construct
it is the second manifestation of this construct. it is a personal narrative that organizes past events into a sequence that makes sense
mcAdams and life story
he suggests that begin forming it in late teens and early adulthood as a part of our identity, and refine it as we go
McAdams and things that are important to our life story
- changing personal identity
- changes in motivation and goals
- beliefs and values are used as context for the person’s actions
possible selves
- projecting what we could/would like to become, and what we are afraid of becoming (health plays an important role in this, usually in what we are afraid of becoming)
- are usually stable for an amount of time
- are mesurable with psychometrically sound scales
- they may change if we start to want personal growth
- they facilitate adaption to new roles across the life span
possible selves as young adults
we are considering family concerns (marrying the right person) and getting started in an occupation
-at this age we have many possible selves, we believe that we can become what we want to be and avoid what we fear we can become (older adults are more likely to believe that it is out of their control)
possible selves in your 30s
you are focused on being more loving and caring as opposed to family concerns
possible selves in 40s-50s
family concerns are important again, there is more focus on parenting and job performance
personal control beliefs
these are beliefs about how much ones performance in a situation is within your control. there are four types of personal control beliefs:
- control from within oneself
- control over oneself
- control over the environment
- control from the environment
having a high belief in your personal control:
is related to sucess
-increases with age in some domains, and decreases in others
personal control beliefs: primary control
this is behaviour that is aimed at affecting the individual’s external world, it increases from childhood to middle adulthood, then starts decreasing in late adulthood
personal control beliefs: secondary control
behavior or cognition aimed at affecting your internal world, striving for this increases throughout life
